Oops!
by Phoenix Angel Suyari
Summary: Forge is at it again!
1. Good Intentions

Disclaimer: I don't own X-men or Lord of the Rings. Though God knows I wish I did.  
  
A/N: *sigh* Isn't Legolas a hottie? *sigh* And I may not own them, but I can pretend. Aha! Besides, with real life hotties like Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood, is life really that bad?!  
  
  
  
Rogue walked into Forge's lab and sat on his console. "Hey Forge! Whatcha up ta?" she asked, leaning back. Forge looked up at her from a small dome of metal he'd been working on. "Rogue, you're doing it again," he said with a sigh. "Doin' what? Oh sorry." She hopped off the console and walked over to him, looking at his work over his shoulder. If there was one thing that really bothered him... "Rogue!" he cried, nearly whining. "Augh, fhine!" she growled, walking away. He got up quickly, grabbing her wrist.  
  
Rogue was rarely open around people, wanting only to keep them away. But for some reason, she'd chosen him to open up to. He realized how important that really was, and he wasn't about to ruin it. Rogue was in a playful mood, and those were rarer than her smiles. It was up to him to indulge her. Besides, he had to admit, he secretly enjoyed being the only person she was so carefree around. It gave him a sense of purpose. And above all, it made him comfortable; comfortable in a place and time where he felt he didn't belong. That was probably why he and Rogue had grown so close. Two outcasts drawn to each other. 'How typical.' It was almost funny.  
  
"Here, Rogue, lemme show you what I'm doing," he said, softly pulling her. She didn't argue; just let him guide her back to the console. He picked up a small silver contraption that looked awfully familiar. Her eyes widened. "Forge isn't that-?" "Well yes and no," he replied. She took a step back and he put it down. "Whaddaya mean yes and no." "Well yes it does look familiar, I used the same design. It's also a transmolecular disturber. But, this one isn't for creating a window into other dimensions. It does however, tamper with the one you're in, and-" "And then somethin' goes wrong and yer trapped in another dimension or somethin'." "Well, this does create a pocket dimension like Middleverse but-" "Forge dontcha learn? Lahst time-" "Last time I used it for good and-" He stopped as she stood there, arms crossed over her chest, shaking her head slowly. He sighed, flustered. How to tell her? "What coulda evah possessed ya ta make anotha one?" He looked down. "Actually you." "Me?" He nodded. "How's this all about me?" "Well if this actually works...you'll...be able to touch." Her expression changed from teasing to shocked surprise. She stood there stock still. "What?" she finally managed to choke out. At a loss, Forge walked over to the machine. A few taps, a snap, and a click later, he turned to face her again.  
  
He stretched his arm out toward her. She backed away instinctively. He grabbed her elbow and held her in place as he walked up to her slowly. She stood frozen, as he stepped up to her. Peeling off her gloves, he brought her hands to his face, carefully going slowly so as not to frighten her. As her bare hands touched his cheeks her eyes squeezed close. When she felt no pull, her eyes snapped open and met his. He smiled. Rogue stepped closer tentively, still not believing that this was all happening. She slowly melted in his arms. Forge leaned down. Something in the back of her mind told her what was happening was perfectly normal. The rest of her felt so strange, it had been so long since she'd been touched. Her eyes closed as his face came down, hands clasped onto his shoulders for support. He was going to kiss her. Her fairy tale was coming true, finally her perfect moment.  
  
Suddenly they were thrown to the floor, the whole mansion shaking. There were a few sounds of things crashing around them. When the tremors subsided they both stood up. Before they could acess the damage a voice rang through their heads. *All X-men report outside immediately. We are under attack* Rogue and Forge exchanged looks before racing out of the lab to join the battle. 


	2. The fall from grace

A/N: Actually Bazzer, I was plannin' on posting the chapters pretty close to each other. But, I guess a couple a months couldn't hurt. ^.^  
  
Bouccu points for WritingMoose who correctly guessed what was going on. (sorta)  
  
  
Lance Alvers stood outside the mansion, so many emotions running through him, he was trembling almost as much as the ground beneath him. It couldn't be happening to him again. Fate couldn't be that cruel. Then again, he knew quite well that it could. No. She didn't mean it. She couldn't mean it. Maybe he'd heard her wrong.  
  
He'd barely noticed her teammates, or that the whole mansion was up in arms. None of that was important. This had nothing to do with them. But, then he was wrong, it had everything to do with them. They were her teammates, they were only looking out for her; just like his own teammates standing behind him. Now, there was the surprise. They hadn't done or said anything yet. They were letting him handle the situation as he wanted to, just waiting, ready in case he needed them. Surprisingly her teammates were doing the same thing. But as he glanced at them he realized it was only because they weren't all there. More pointedly, Summers wasn't there yet. Even though Wolverine was, he hadn't bothered to make a move yet. Lance wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was however, sure about how he felt about Kitty. Why didn't she understand?  
  
Rogue rounded the corner, Forge right behind her. She tugged on the gloves of her uniform (a bad habit she'd recently discovered she had) and took in the sight before her. Lance and Kitty stood in the middle of the drive, about two feet away from each other. Rogue felt a sharp pang of sympathy when she saw Lance. His face was contorted into a mask of anger, so was his stance, but his pain was clearly evident. It was all over him, it wasn't hard to see. Apparently it was obvious to everyone, because both the X-men and the Brotherhood were clearly staying out of it. Even Wolverine wasn't moving, and from the looks of it, hadn't said anything either; which was very unlike him.  
  
She slowly trotted over to Warren and Bobby. Casually leaning against the wall between them, she whispered, "What's going on?" Warren shrugged. "I just got here." "Ditto," Bobby replied, "But whatever it is, it's not good." "Well thank you Captain Obvious." Bobby pointed at Warren. "Hey that's Iceman to you. Captain Obvious is a name exclusive to a select few." They both laughed. Rogue looked at Kitty. She was standing there, arms crossed, leaning on one hip, not being affected by the tremors, so obviously intangible, but, her emotions were a little harder to read. It angered Rogue. Kitty was her roommate; she was supposed to know her well, at least well enough. Kitty was usually so easy to read, so why was it so hard now?  
  
There was a sudden gust of wind, and then Pietro was leaning against the wall beside her. "Hey, hey there Rogue. How goes everything?" She turned to face him. "Pietro, ya know what's goin' on?" He smiled. "Take a wild guess...I believe you owe me some money." Rogue gasped, knowing exactly what he meant. Some of her teammates turned to them. Bobby and Warren were openly staring. Rogue thought about what Pietro had just said, then shook her head. "Sorry Pietro but ya owe me money." His eyebrows shot up. "What?! Rogue I said ten!" "Yea, ya did. But, considering the rules, the Sadey Hawkins dance don't count and neither does their last two, and tonight's." Pietro froze, thinking about it. "Dammit!" he cried, handing her twenty dollars, "You're right." "Thank Ya!" she replied, taking the money. She pointed at Lance and Kitty. "Keep watchin', our bet ain't ovah yet." Grumbling, Pietro turned to watch the fight. "Fine, but just so you know, I don't plan on loosing again." "Then stop bettin' wit me. How long's it been?" He looked at his watch. "Ten minutes, 42 seconds." "Come on Kitty," Rogue mumbled.  
  
Logan watched the interaction with a certain sense of pride. He was glad the X-men were learning more from him then just how to win a fight. Cyclops came running out of the mansion. Wolverine sighed. Well some of the students were learning. "Alvers!" Lance looked up at him. "Ha! I win! 2:55!" Bobby cried, looking at his watch. "Cough it up everybody." "I don't think so, I got 2:57," Warren said, shaking his head. "Your watch is fast!" "And yours is slow. I got 2:56!" Sam replied. Roberto shook his head. "No. It was exactly two minutes, 45 seconds. My watch is impeccable." "Oh come off it Roberto!" Rahne cried. Soon a large fight broke out amongst the X-men about exactly how long it had taken Scott to make it outside and get mad. Rogue turned and whispered something to Pietro. He checked his watch and gave her the exact time. For who knew time better than Bayville's resident speed demon? There was a shrill whistle, and everyone stopped arguing and looked at her. "It was 2:59. Ya'll loose." They all turned to Pietro, who nodded smugly. Everyone began grumbling. "But I win. Pay up or-" *SNIK* There was a lot of groaning, but Logan got $100 richer. Storm shook her head, disapprovingly at him. "Sorry 'Ro, but they gotta learn somewhere. N last time I checked, we're a school, ain't we?"  
  
The Professor cleared his throat. He'd come out after Scott. Everyone turned to him. "I believe we must first concentrate on the task at hand. Then you may all disagree on your betting." Wolverine snorted, obviously not happy with whatever comment the Professor had added mentally. Lance was getting annoyed at the whole situation in general. He'd had about enough.  
  
Rogue noticed first. Grabbing Warren's shoulders, she said, "Go!" Warren didn't hesitate. With one graceful beat they were airborne. No sooner then Warren had flapped, a great wave of terra headed toward the mansion. Nightcrawler had watched Rogue and Angel's ascent and ported over to the Professor to get him to safety. Cannonball had also noticed his teammates retreat, and grabbing the two closest people (which happened to be Rahne and Jubilee) took off after them. Sunspot grabbed Magma, following their lead. Jean rose after them. Ororo, who was already airborne, dove and missed Jamie. With each collision with the ground two more Jamie's appeared. Everyone not in the air were being tossed around like clothes in a dryer. Pietro had zipped behind his leader for protection. But Lance was so mad, his power radiated in a fifty- foot radius, so the Brotherhood were thrown down as well.   
  
The wave was getting closer, and it had only a few more feet to go, before it buried them. Anchoring himself, Bobby used all his strength to create a large ice wall. The dirt pounded against the ice as it hit, but the wall was strong. As the rumbling died down Bobby and Lance both collapsed. Kitty screamed and dove for Lance. She somehow managed to catch him before Pietro (which probably had something to do with the blood running down Quicksilver's neck) and fell to the ground cradling him like a child. Jean used her telekinesis to catch and gently lower Bobby to the ground. Warren and Rogue landed beside him. Rogue rushed to him near hysterics. There was a *BAMF* and Kurt and the Professor reappeared. The Professor looked around at the damage and the wounded, and refrained from sighing. As everyone began to collect their bearings, Professor Xavier thought of his dream. "We have so much to do," he said. "And miles to go before we sleep," Beast commented, as he supported a limping Ray. Xavier sighed. "Yes. That we do."  
  
  
  
  
A/N: I dunno where Beast's comment is from. It's a quote from something. (I hope it's even the right words) It was just stuck in my head and fit perfectly. If anyone knows where it's from, could you please tell me? It's driving me crazy.  
  
Okay. We all know Cannonball can fly. (Abstractly, but hey it's still flight) I haven't read a comic with Sunspot in it in a long time. But, my memory is fairly good, and I'm pretty sure he can fly, or could at some time. I'll look it up. I really hate it when one of them goes and stumps me like that. Makes me feel like less of a fan. So, yea, if you know that for sure too, jus tell me in the review please. Thank you. 


	3. Dreams come true, yes they do

A/N: First off I wanna thank Waterfall for answering the poem question. Ironically, I ended up doing that poem in class two days later. Thanx for including it too. Now, everyone has an easy resource.   
  
Special thanx also goes out to MizzMarvel whom is always ready to correct me and knows way too much for her own good. Ha ha. But then where would spontaneously ditzy authors like myself get such excellent backup huh? Answer me that.  
  
BAZ, look it's only been two months!  
  
WritingMoose, I know he's not officially a part of the institute. (But, then again, neither is Forge) But, if you know anything at all about me, you'd know that Warren happens to be one of my faves. And I happen to be more than a lil miffed by the way he never gets enough screen time every time Marvel decides to animate X-men. Thus, I put him in wherever I can. ^.^  
  
Materian, Ray is Berzerker.  
  
THE MASKED DEFEND-GER, you're crazy, but I appreciate it. Thanx. (Like the picket idea, it's cute)  
  
And lastly, batE, on the note of Forge/Rogue fluffiness, all I can say is maybe. Ehehe......   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Forge looked around his lab taking in the mess. He sighed. This would take forever to clean up. Rogue was gently sifting through the debris. Forge wondered whether Hank was having the same problem.  
  
  
"Ow, ow, ow," Pietro cried, as Hank wrapped a bandage tightly about his head. "I'm sorry Pietro, but the pain can't be helped. I have to bind this tightly." Pietro closed his eyes to keep the tears from escaping. "Last time I support him," he mumbled, with a snort.  
  
  
Kitty sat beside an unconscious Lance, feeling extremely guilty. She'd hurt everyone she loved over something stupid. She'd just been so angry when she'd found out, she didn't even bother to sit down and listen. He'd tried to explain, but she hadn't listened. Tears began to spill from her eyes, raining down on her lap. "How could I be so stupid?" she wailed, "I'm sorry Lance, I'm so sorry." She collapsed on his bedside with a sob.  
  
  
Rogue finally found it. It'd taken her half an hour, but she'd finally found it. Lifting it up, she began to survey it. It didn't look damaged. Then again, she was no engineer. "Forge?" "Hmm?" came the reply. When Rogue didn't respond, Forge rolled out from under one of the consoles. Rogue slowly turned as she heard him move. "Is it broken?" she asked, holding out the small machine. Forge's brow furrowed. "I don't know," he replied, getting up and walking over to her. He took the delicate machine from her and began to look it over. Rogue stood beside him, eyes fixed on the machine, softly bouncing on her feet. "Hmm," Forge said, walking over to a metal table. He put the machine down on it. Rogue followed behind him nervously. Leaning over the machine, Forge began to give it a thorough rundown. "Oh," he said finally, in a disappointed voice. "It's broken isn't it?" Rogue said, turning away sadly. "No," he replied, turning to face her. As Rogue whipped back around Forge slipped his arms around her waist, bringing her against him and kissing her passionately.   
  
At first she was in shock. This couldn't possibly be happening. But as Forge continued to kiss her, holding her tightly against him, she realized it was. Her heart jumped in her chest in sheer joy. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moaned into his mouth and began to kiss back tentatively. Forge smiled against her lips before kissing her again. Rogue's kisses became hungry as Forge leaned back against the table. Preoccupied, neither noticed the flash of gold light shine across the dome.  
  
  
  
  
Phoenix & Muse: *laughing evilly* 


	4. Brave New World

A/N: J.C. - Me?! Evil?! Never! Mwahaha!!!  
  
  
  
The trees rustled as a fair blonde head popped out of the foliage, surveying the area. Blue eyes scanned unfamiliar terrain. This forest was unlike any other he'd ever seen. It was lush, yet it felt contained somehow, as if the trees were prisoners. Off in the distance he saw a large structure. It appeared to be a house of some sort, though he did not even want to guess what would live in a house so large. He turned. He could hear the gentle sounds of crashing waves, but couldn't see the ocean. 'Oh well, I'm probably better off not knowing.' He could hear his companions shifting about impatiently on the ground. He gave a small smile before dropping to the ground with natural grace.  
  
"It seems we are no longer where we were," he said, startling his companions who had not heard his approach, "Nor do I know of this land." "Aye, it is strange," replied his stout, bearded companion. "It is rare that we are ever anywhere you haven't been Legolas. Are you sure you have not just forgotten?" asked a tall man to his left. Legolas sighed. "Aragorn, I know it amuses you to do so, but jesting about my memory in comparison to my age is ludicrous. I'm an elf! I do not forget such things." Aragorn smiled. "Though I admit I enjoy such a jest, this time I assure you, I am serious." "What do we do now?" asked Merry. Legolas shrugged elegantly. "I saw a rather large house upon a cliffside in the distance," Legolas replied, "It should not take us long to reach it." "Know you the master of this realm?" "Boromir, if I knew, we would not be in this situation. As it is, I am unable to tell what sort of creature inhabits this home, for it is rather unusual at best." "Either way we must be going," Gandulf said, getting up, "It is not wise to dally long in strange lands." Though no one said so, they all agreed.  
  
Gathering themselves, they headed off in the direction of the strange house. They could not be sure what they would face, but they knew the ring must be kept safe at all costs. And it seemed, to their dismay, the quest had just gotten harder.  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay people, just a side note here. I've got a question I'd like to ask. How many of you would like to see Rogue kiss someone else? 


	5. Shared pain

Rahne sighed, her head falling back against the tree. She ran her hand through Jamie's hair absently. The younger mutant lay with his bandaged head in her lap. She scanned the area seeing two more Jamies and calling them over. The real Jamie, the Jamie whose head lay in her lap was suffering from a concussion. As a result, there were a dozen or so Jamies running around. They would not be able to bond with him again until after he was well. Rahne smiled as the two Jamies sat down amongst the others. Rahne, who had a penchant for the sweet younger X-man, had volunteered to care for him, and round up his multiples. Babysitting and Collecting. It would be a long day.  
  
  
Pietro hopped off the examining table. Unfortunately he was still extremely dizzy, and thus collapsed into a heap on the floor. He winced as he banged his head against the table leg. White spots formed before his eyes and a sharp ringing reverberated through his head. "Okay," he mumbled, distractedly, "Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought."  
  
  
Hank ducked as an energy bomb flew past his head. "Tabitha, please relax," he said gently. "Relax? Relax?! My arm is broken and you want me to relax?!" He sighed. "Getting upset will not help things." "Yea, well it makes me feel better!" "Tabitha-" *BAMF* "Blue!" Tabby attempted to throw herself at him, only to be restrained by Hank. "Tabita, are you alvright?" Tabby's eyes pooled with tears. "Blue look what Lance did! Look what that ragging idiot did to me!" She held up her cast-drying arm. Kurt's eyes softened. He hopped up on the table beside her, placing an arm around her gently. Tabby collapsed into him. "Oh Blue it's terrible! My arms broken forever!" Kurt laughed softly. "Tabby, I don't zink it's broken forever." She glared at him, then relented. "I know. But it hurts like hell!" "I bet it does." "When I get my hands on that rock tumbling jerk-" She winced as she accidentally clamped both fists, pain shooting up her arm. She bit down on her lip with a muffled "Ow." Kurt just brought her closer to him and rubbed her shoulder. Tabby closed her eyes, burying her face in his neck with a soft sigh.  
  
  
Scott groaned. Wasn't it bad enough he had to always wear a visor? His fingers traced over his black eye gingerly. He bit back the pain and looked himself over with his good eye. What a mess. White gauze covered most of the right side of his face. He couldn't see the severity of the damage, but he could see the large, swollen lump through the gauze. He groaned, his good eye blinking a few times, unused to such treatment. He had been given a ruby quartz eye patch for his good eye. He looked like a pirate who'd just lost an eye. His left cheek had needed twenty-nine stitches, and his lower lip was split. Various bruises were flowering all over his body and his head felt like he'd been hit by a baseball bat. He groaned for the third time in less than five minutes and sank into a nearby chair.  
  
Warren walked into the rec room feeling, emotionally, a little worse for the wear. Scott looked up at him, and Warren could feel the glare from across the room. He smiled warmly. "How're you feeling?" he asked. Scott snorted. "Hurt like hell, huh?" "Nothing you'd be familiar with," Scott retorted. "I wouldn't be so sure," Warren replied, with a friendly smile. He sat down across from Scott. Scott looked away, getting angry at how Warren didn't even so much as have a scratch on him. "How's the team?" he asked, switching to leader mode. Warren sighed. "More or less, everybody's doing fine. A bit shaken up, but alright." Scott exhaled, sinking further into the chair. He was starting to feel really tired. He yawned. "Do me a favor?" he asked, drowsily. "Yea." "Go check on everyone again for me?" "Okay." Scott had fallen asleep by the time Warren left the room. 


	6. Busted!

A/N: Hmm...quite a few votes for Legolas. Well...well...well...We'll see now won't we. (Though anyone who knows me, oughtta catch on. Legolas and Rogue mean the world to me.) Bwahaha!!!  
  
  
"Well this looks cozy." Rogue and Forge broke away as if they'd been burned. Turning to look at the doorway, they saw Ray leaning heavily on his crutches. "Ray!" Rogue cried, "Shouldn't you be in bed?!" He shrugged and walked over to them. "You try staying in bed. I hate it." He leaned against the table carefully. "So, what's all this?" Rogue began to brush back her hair nervously. "N-nothing," she stammered, embarrassed. "Oh really?" he replied, with a sly smile, "You just up and decide today'd be the day you don't absorb someone?" Rogue blushed scarlet, and Ray laughed. "Relax Rogue, I'm just messing with you." He looked around. "But really, how'd you do it?" "With this," Forge offered, holding up the shimmering dome. Ray's eyes widened. "Uh...Forge-" Forge sighed, aggravated. "Why is everyone so afraid of these things?!" Ray's face bunched up. "Well it could possibly have something to do with the fact that every time you "create" one of those," he pointed accusingly at the dome, "we end up with some nasties running around trying to kill people-" "Or, we get people sucked into pocket dimensions," Rogue added. "Or we all end up glued to the ceiling for a week, due to "extraneous antimatter combustion"!" Forge gasped. "Hey that was a fluke!" he cried. Ray rolled his eyes. Rogue laughed.  
  
  
"And they lived happily ever after." All the Jamie's clapped happily. "Tell another one! Tell another one!" they chanted. Rahne sighed. There was a flutter of wings, and Warren landed beside her. He looked rather shocked at the number of Jamie's under Rahne's care. His mouth worked, but no sound came. "Fifteen," Rahne offered. Warren's mouth closed. "Not countin' Jamie here," she added, shifting and shocking Jamie out of falling asleep again. Hank had said, "Rest, but absolutely no sleep." Rahne didn't want Jamie in a coma, so she was diligently keeping him awake, tiring herself out in the process. "Wow Rahne, good job," Warren finally managed. Rahne smiled.  
  
  
"...And that's why nobody can know yet," Rogue finished. Ray nodded. "Okay, I got you." Rogue sighed, relieved. "But, you're gonna hafta buy my silence." "Bribery?!" Rogue screeched. Ray smiled. "Rogue, Rogue, Rogue," he replied, with a coy shake of his head, "Bribery's such a harsh word. Think of it as a privacy fee." Rogue's eyes narrowed. Forge remained suspiciously silent. Crossing her arms over her chest with a heavy sigh, she relented. "Okay, whaddaya want?" Ray seemed momentarily surprised, before he smiled and desperately tried to think of something. Rogue tapped her foot. "Well? We ain't got all day." Ray's brow furrowed. He could only think of one thing he really wanted, but...no, he couldn't ask for that! "We don't have to give in you know," Forge said, "I could always..." He held up the machine. Ray and Rogue both laughed. "Go ahead, I dare you!" Ray replied with a grin. Forge pointed the machine at him. To his credit, Ray didn't so much as flinch. Rogue stood in front of Forge, her hands pushing the machine down slowly. "No offense Forge, but ah think one is enough trouble as it is. Besides ah ain't in the mood fer gatherin' a rescue party. 'N ah don't think the team's up ta it either." Forge put down the machine with a sigh. "Don't you trust me?" "No," came the simultaneous response. Forge dropped his head. Rouge went over to him and kissed him. "Forge, it ain't so much as we don't trust ya as..." "As we just don't trust your inventions," Ray finished, "Especially that kind" He pointed at the dome accusingly as Rogue nodded. Forge sighed again and looked up at them. Rogue smiled at him then turned to Ray. "So what'll it be?" Ray smiled. "How 'bout a kiss?" Forge tensed, but immediately relaxed as Ray turned his cheek toward Rogue. "Why not?" She walked over to him and stopped. "Ummm..." "What?"   
  
Both boys were shocked as Rogue grabbed Ray's shirt collar and yanked him down to her level, almost causing him to loose his balance. She paused, then leaned in and whispered something in his ear. Forge watched the emotions play over Ray's face as he took in Rogue's words. When she pulled back, she was blushing, her eyes averted, gazing at the floor. Ray had a cheshire grin plastered to his face. "Okay," he said. Forge momentarily wondered what was going on. Ray's body began to lightly spark, electricity ebbing off him. Rogue's eyes slowly drifted up and a small smile graced her pinkened face. Ray stood still as Rogue pressed against him slowly, her face coming up to greet his. Forge leaned back against the table. Suddenly Rogue threw her arms around Ray's neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Forge fell off the table. Ray's shock was also evident as several glass flasks shattered to his right.  
  
After a brief moment, Rogue pulled away, breathless and blushing. She had a wild look in her eye, and Ray could only stare. Forge slowly got up, staring at her as well. "What?!" Rogue cried defensively, "Ah needed something' ta compare ya to." It was a few moments before she got a stuttered "And?" in response. She smiled. "Well-" "Wait a minute!" Ray cried, "You can't compare! I didn't kiss you back!" Rogue folded her arms over her chest. "And whose fault is that?!" Ray sputtered as Forge, wearing a similarly confused expression, attempted to make some sense out of what just happened. "Honestly," Rogue replied, "Ya'll are hopeless. Pietro woulda-" "Did somebody say my name?" Everyone slowly turned to see Pietro standing in the doorway. "Pietro, how long've ya been standing there?" Rogue managed to get out. "Long enough," he replied with a smirk, "I'll have what he had."  
  
  
  
Rahne shifted. There it was again. She had the strangest feeling they were being watched. She turned to Warren. "Warren, do you know if the security systems are back up?"  
  
"Not yet, why?"  
  
"I think there's someone here."  
  
"The Brotherhood's here Rahne, maybe they're just walking around."  
  
She shook her head. "No," she replied, "There's someone else."   
  
Or a few someone's to be exact, though her senses felt wired and she couldn't place more than two as definitely human. "Where's Logan?" A second, more experienced opinion might be in order.  
  
"Not sure, why?"  
  
Rahne sat up straighter. "We definitely have some company." She gestured towards a vale of bushes a few yards away, bushes that were conspicuously moving. Warren's eyes narrowed. "Come on," he said softly, "Let's go check it out."  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay. Now, as I've been so lax in updating lately, I have a proposition for you. The first five people who can correctly tell me why the bushes are moving, will get a prize.   
  
The prize? You get to ask me one question about ANY of my stories, and I'll answer it for you. However, questions like, "What's going to happen?" and "How's it end?" are obviously NOT in the running. Yes, paraphrasing inclusive. Heh!  
  
Other than that...Good Luck. And, please don't forget to leave your e-mail address in the review box so I can send you an answer. 


End file.
